The weekly candle tells you which direction institutions are currently delivering price. It is the highest-timeframe context most traders have consistent access to before the monthly. If your directional bias is set on the 4H or daily chart without reference to the weekly, you are building your analysis on top of noise — and every loss that comes from 'being right on direction but still stopped out' traces back to this.
Weekly bias is not a prediction. It's a filter. It tells you which direction setups have institutional backing and which direction you're fighting the flow.
What the Weekly Candle Actually Represents
The weekly candle is a five-day record of where institutions chose to deliver price. It opens Sunday or Monday, accumulates directional moves through the week, and closes Friday. The open, high, low, and close of that candle are not random — they reflect deliberate institutional behavior across five trading sessions.
The previous week's high and low are liquidity pools. Retail traders place stops above highs and below lows. Institutions run to those levels to collect stop liquidity and fill their own large orders. The weekly high and low are the most consistent stop hunt targets on the chart.
The 4-Step Weekly Candle Bias Process
Step 1 — Mark the Previous Week's Key Levels
Before the new week begins, mark four levels from the completed weekly candle: the high, the low, the midpoint (50% of the range), and the close. These are your reference points for the entire coming week.
- →Previous week high (PWH): liquidity pool above — stops sitting here from breakout traders and short sellers
- →Previous week low (PWL): liquidity pool below — stops sitting here from breakdown traders and long holders
- →Previous week midpoint: the 50% level — key filter for whether price is delivering bullish or bearish
- →Previous week close: the starting reference for the new week open — a gap above or below is meaningful
Step 2 — Read the Weekly Open
Where price opens relative to the previous week's close and midpoint tells you the initial institutional bias. A gap up open above the previous week's close signals early bullish intent. A gap down below signals bearish. Neither is guaranteed — it's a starting hypothesis, not a confirmed bias.
Step 3 — Confirm Delivery Direction by Midweek
By Tuesday or Wednesday, the weekly candle has enough body to tell you where delivery is heading. If price is holding above the weekly midpoint and the daily candles are printing bullish closes, the weekly delivery is bullish. If price is below the midpoint and the daily is bearish, the weekly delivery is bearish.
Key Rule
Only take entries in the direction of weekly delivery. If the weekly is bullish, look for long entries on lower timeframes. If bearish, only look for short entries. Countertrend setups require exceptional justification.
Step 4 — Use Weekly Liquidity as Targets and Reversal Zones
Once bias is confirmed, the previous week's high or low becomes your primary target — and a potential reversal zone if taken. If the weekly is bullish and price sweeps the previous week high, watch for the reversal back down. If it's bearish and price sweeps the previous week low, watch for the reversal back up. These are not random levels — they're the most predictable institutional decision points on the chart.
Weekly Candle Bias Filters — What to Look For
| Weekly Candle Signal | Bias | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Price opens above previous week close | Bullish lean | Look for long setups on pullbacks |
| Price opens below previous week close | Bearish lean | Look for short setups on rallies |
| Price holds above weekly midpoint | Bullish confirmed | Only take long entries |
| Price holds below weekly midpoint | Bearish confirmed | Only take short entries |
| Price sweeps previous week high | Bullish exhaustion / reversal zone | Watch for CISD short entry |
| Price sweeps previous week low | Bearish exhaustion / reversal zone | Watch for CISD long entry |
| Weekly close above previous week high | Bullish breakout — next week targets higher highs | Adjust weekly targets up |
| Weekly close below previous week low | Bearish breakdown — next week targets lower lows | Adjust weekly targets down |
Why Most ICT Traders Skip This Step
Weekly candle analysis takes maybe 10 minutes on Sunday. The reason traders skip it is that the daily and 4H charts feel more actionable — there are more candles, more patterns, more apparent information. But that information is all filtered through the weekly context. A bullish 4H setup that runs against a bearish weekly delivery has low probability before you look at a single indicator.
The traders who use the weekly candle correctly trade less often and win more often. They're not entering every setup — they're waiting for setups that align with the institutional delivery direction visible on the weekly. Lower frequency, higher quality.
The weekly candle gives direction. The daily gives permission. The 4H gives the setup. The 5M gives the entry. That is the timeframe stack. Skip the weekly and you've removed the foundation.
Combining Weekly Bias with CISD Entry
Weekly bias tells you direction. CISD gives you the precise entry candle. The combination — weekly bias confirmed, price sweeps a relevant liquidity pool, CISD fires on the lower timeframe — is the highest-probability entry structure in the ICT framework. You're not entering against the weekly. You're not entering at the start of the move. You're entering on the confirmation that institutional delivery has begun.
The SMC X indicator automates the CISD detection step, so you spend your analysis time on the weekly context and let the indicator flag the entry signal. When the weekly bias aligns with a CISD signal, SMC X marks it directly on your chart.
How to Use the Weekly Candle for ICT Bias
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Start Free 7-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
How do ICT traders use the weekly candle for bias?
ICT traders read the weekly candle to determine which direction institutional delivery is favoring for the current week. If price opens the week bullish and is above the previous week's midpoint, bias is bullish. If price opens bearish and is below the midpoint, bias is bearish. All lower timeframe entries should align with the weekly delivery direction.
What is the weekly candle midpoint in ICT trading?
The weekly candle midpoint is the 50% level of the current week's range. ICT traders use it as a key reference — price holding above the midpoint through most of the week favors continued bullish delivery, while price staying below the midpoint favors bearish delivery. It's one of the cleanest bias filters available.
When should you check the weekly candle for bias?
Check the weekly candle at the Sunday open or Monday open before making any trades. Mark the previous week's high, low, midpoint, and closing price. Then monitor where the new week opens relative to those levels. This context should be set before you look at any lower timeframe chart.
Can weekly candle bias change mid-week?
Yes. If price breaks below the weekly midpoint and closes below it on the daily chart, the bias can shift bearish mid-week. The weekly candle is a live structure — it doesn't lock in direction until Friday's close. Treat it as a dynamic filter, not a fixed label.
What happens when price takes the previous week's high or low?
Taking the previous week's high is a bullish liquidity sweep. Taking the previous week's low is a bearish liquidity sweep. These are high-probability reversal zones — smart money is clearing stops before reversing or continuing delivery. They're among the most reliable levels in the ICT framework.